User:Doncram/February DYKs/Thankful Baptist Church

The Thankful Baptist Church, at 935 Spiderwebb Dr. in Rome, Georgia, was built in 1881. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Architecture: Gothic-inspired, Gothic Revival?

The church as a congregation was founded in 1867 and was the first independent church for black citizens in Rome, Georgia. This church building was built in 1881.

"The early history of the church is closely associated with the Rome Baptist Church, that was established by whites. Between 1835 and 1865 there were approximately 128 black members of the Rome Baptist Church. In the early 1850s blacks were allowed to hold separate services in the basement of the church with assistance of the white Baptists. In 1867 the blacks formally organized their membership in a separate church, and in 1869 a permanent building was completed. The present church building, constructed in 1881, was erected on the site of the first church. Thankful Baptist Church members created other black churches in the Rome area, including Springfield Baptist Church and the Broad Street Baptist Church. The church has served the spiritual needs of black citizens of Rome and all sections of Floyd County and continues to serve the community today with a membership of about 500 people."

"Thankful Baptist Church is significant in the area of local history for its association with prominent black citizens in the Rome area, which included Reverend Jefferson Milner (1820-1895), the founder of the church and the Rome High and Industrial School and the Reverend John J. Poindexter, who served as pastor of Thankful Baptist at the turn of the century and as pastor of the Broad Street Baptist in 1904. Members of the church included doctors, lawyers, teachers, and other professionals who represented a variety of socio-economic levels."